Ethnic GEM: Monique Clarke
Title & Company: UX Product Designer, Fidelity / Founder of BYTE
State: Boston, MA
Submitted by Wesley Webb, Contributing Writer
Born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, Monique Clarke is empowering children from her hometown neighborhoods to thrive in a technology-driven society. To combat the digital divide in marginalized communities of color, Monique created BYTE (Bright Young Tech Engineers), a STEM-based initiative that uses an “each one, teach one” model to address the ongoing inequalities in tech. The mission introduces elementary-aged children to emerging technologies like AI and machine learning through familiarizing students with basic coding education. As a woman of color working over a decade in the tech industry, Monique is blessed and honored to be a pioneer and visionary behind BYTE.
During Monique’s nine-year tenure at Northeastern University, she pursued her graduate degree in Counseling and Student Development and worked as an IT Coordinator. For many years, Clarke freelanced in web development, marketing, and design for local startups in the Boston area. With her technology expertise, she
worked passionately at MassIT, researching and developing products to improve the everyday lives of citizens. According to Clarke, these first-hand community challenges “fueled my desire to improve processes for users, leading me to pursue a parallel career in software engineering before ultimately finding my calling in design and research.” Subsequently, she began to pursue a career in User Experience Design (UX) and Research. Clarke continues her professional career as a Product Designer at Fidelity while pouring into the next generation of engineers with BYTE.
The future of technology and its endless possibilities rests on the shoulders of our bright, young communities; however, our BIPOC communities have been traditionally closed from that journey or been given very short-lived experiences. By closing the digital gap among rural and urban neighborhoods, BYTE is on a mission to transform “tech deserts into vibrant tech hubs, ensuring every community has equitable access to technology.” Clarke credits Black educators and mentors for instilling the confidence to pursue her passion in inclusive technology and design. Today, Clarke continues to support minority-owned startups in Boston while she advocates for health and fitness for a more fulfilling and holistic future.
